This invention relates generally to exercise devices and more specifically to exercise devices to be used by one or more persons as a game of physical ability and as a training and diagnostic device for football and other sports.
Prior art exercise and/or training devices have attempted to provide diagnostic and training assistance to players and coaches but have suffered from numerous drawbacks. Most notably, previous devices were deficient because they were extremely bulky and heavy and therefore difficult to transport and store when not in use. Also due to their size and the concomitant expense in designing and building them, prior art devices were not sufficiently available to professional and amateur players, teams and the general public, when these individuals wished to practice skills and/or play a game at home, or at times other than during team practice sessions.
Samples of prior art devices for training football and other sports players, are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,736,947 (Jenkins), 4,067,571 (Rogers), 4,828,252 (Bowen), and 4,565,367 (Kaiser).
The device of the present invention constitutes a shield with special features which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing professional and amateur sports players, especially football players, with a means to practice their skills without having to transport and wear bulky, protective football equipment. The exercise shield provides users with a means to increase their football blocking, pass rushing and other skills by functioning as a diagnostic tool and as a training apparatus. The exercise shield permits users to improve vital sporting skills by allowing them the flexibility and challenge to practice one-on-one or during an organized group practice without using bulky football or other sporting protective pads and equipment. In particular, the shield includes a pair of handles on each side of the shield or barrier wall. The user grasps the handles and can then practice his/her skills alone or by exerting force against a second opposing player grasping the second set of handles on the reverse side of the shield.
As a diagnostic tool, the exercise shield enables a coach/trainer or an individual player to diagnose certain elements of the player's blocking/pass rushing proficiencies and/or weaknesses. These elements include physiological factors, such as leg strength, speed, balance and coordination, along with arm strength and overall body power, as well as those related to technique. This diagnostic capability allows coaches to objectively measure a player's strengths and/or weaknesses, and aids in determining the appropriate team positions a player should play by facilitating the screening and selection of potential player candidates.
The device also permits off-season and in-season practice to become more focused and results-oriented, by providing players with continuous feedback on performance and improvement. Players using the device may also focus their efforts on particular techniques without the need of protective equipment.
In addition to diagnosing a player's pass blocking and rushing, drive blocking and run defense strengths and weaknesses, the device improves a player's offensive and defensive skills employed while playing interior team football positions. It is vital that these skills be mastered because football played in North America emphasizes blocking and defensive line skills. Experts generally agree that these motor skills include leg and foot speed, balance, technique, upper body strength, speed of recognition/reaction time, and hand-eye coordination, along with intelligence. Research demonstrates that these motor skills are improved through training which can now be performed year round for even more substantial improvement. Saccadic eye movements, head movements, and peripheral vision are also necessary for good offensive and defensive playing. The device of the present invention also accelerates the development of effective saccadic eye movement skills because its design enables the player to see beyond his opponent on the other side of the shield and direct his efforts toward a chosen goal. The player is then required to change direction and attempt to either move his opponent or maneuver around him according to what he sees.
The device may be used to train peripheral awareness as well, using two techniques. The first technique requires the player to run parallel and locate and move towards a goal by releasing or forcing toward the goal (i.e., scrambling quarterback or running back). By varying the angular distance between the player and the selected target, the coach/trainer can increase the angles and then can see where a player's response movements are dependable and strongest. The device used in this mode allows the coach to diagnose weaknesses in recognition and movements to the target (ball carrier, etc.). The device also effectively trains a player's eyes by permitting the player to vary the direction from which he moves, either from the right or left, along with body movement, and reaction time.
In the second technique, a player's peripheral awareness and hand-eye coordination are trained by stationing the player sufficiently close to the device to have its ends in his peripheral field of vision. The player is then required to indicate which end of the device is touched by his opposing partner by tapping the end that is selectively tapped b his opposing partner.
Improving these skills not only enhances a player's blocking and pass rushing abilities, but also increases a player's field awareness. Field awareness is a vital element in a player's overall playing proficiency and includes awareness of both the opposition's movement and that of other players on the field.